


4 times barba accidentally nailed carisi's praise kink (+1 time he did it on purpose)

by coupe_de_foudre



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: (badly written and barely descriptive), 4+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mild Smut, Praise Kink, but in a fluffier way than you're probably thinking, i couldn't help it okay sonny blushing at compliments was too much of an appeal for me to ignore, idk what to tag this as...., no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28738914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coupe_de_foudre/pseuds/coupe_de_foudre
Summary: “You’re doing perfectly, go on.” he reassures.Carisi drops his gaze, pale cheeks suddenly flush with colour despite the cool chill in the room. He doesn’t say anything for almost a full minute and Rafael is about to ask if he needs some water, maybe prod him in the right direction for his argument, when he clears his throat. This time, when he speaks, his voice is considerably hoarser than before, hands wringing nervously in front of him as he avoids Rafael’s gaze completely.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 117





	4 times barba accidentally nailed carisi's praise kink (+1 time he did it on purpose)

**Author's Note:**

> the title was sent in as a prompt on tumblr because i said i fancied doing another 4+1 fic and y'all are very creative people (i love it!). it's probably completely unlike what you expect though because i couldn't quite face writing a full on smut fic....my smut sucks i swear. so it's mostly just fluff.
> 
> warning: smutty part is in part 4 so if you wanna skip it feel free, each section works as a standalone drabble anyways

1.

Rafael holds back a moan as he takes another mouthful of delicious, homemade bolognaise. Liv shoots him a knowing look, slipping a handful of files back into the folder on his desk.

“You sure are good at making spaghetti.” he comments between mouthfuls, waving his fork in Carisi’s general direction. The detective looks up from his phone, eyebrows knitted together for all but a second before realisation sets in and a blush creeps into that pale skin of his.

“Uh-” he clears his throat, seemingly looking anywhere but at Rafael, “It’s my Ma’s recipe. I just added oregano.” The small shrug of his shoulders is an obvious deflection of his culinary skills but Rafael doesn’t miss the tension hidden beneath. Nor does he miss the deep breath the detective appears to take before he can relax once again.

Liv, oblivious to any awkwardness that may still reside in the air, smiles brightly as she slaps Carisi’s arm. “You should try Barba’s deep fried beef-”

“Vaca frita.” he corrected with a withering sigh.

She snapped her fingers in his direction, nodding. “Yeah, that.” Leaning in closer to Carisi, she lowers her voice with a playful smile. “It’s to die for. Whoever said the way to someone’s heart is through food must have tried this.”

In an instant, Carisi’s blush returns and Liv sits back with a poorly concealed, satisfied smirk.

“It’s not that good.” Rafael hurries to add but Liv just shakes her head. His gaze falls to Carisi’s again, baby blue eyes meeting his with a warmth that he vaguely recalls being witness to on only a few occasions before it’s hidden behind a flash of curiosity and amusement. Something in Rafael’s chest flutters as he watches the corners of Carisi’s lips twitch up into a small smile, finding himself unable to not return it.

“Oh, it is. He’s just being modest.” Liv argues his point, succeeding in breaking Rafael’s quickly derailing thoughts. He snaps his gaze back to her, already missing those blue eyes but feeling them still trained on him (definitely not heating up under his collar as he feels Carisi not-so-subtly check him out).

“Of course you’d think that.” he sasses back, head tilted to the side just slightly as he raises a brow at his friend. “You’re cooking is subpar at best. You think anything with flavour is Michelin star worthy.”

Liv balks, hand on heart in mock-offense. “Now that’s just uncalled for. You’ve had my meatloaf, Carisi. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Carisi clearly bites back a laugh, hands held up in surrender as he shakes his head. “Hey, I’m staying out of this. I still want a job this time tomorrow.” Rafael snorts, briefly catching the detective’s eyes in a fleeting moment and watching as his smirk eases into a smile.

“Speaking of work,” Rafael says, shuffling the papers together that lay strewn across his desk, “don’t you two have any to do? Because I know I do and, unless you’re offering to help me write up the rest of these files, I’d sure like some peace.”

Liv tuts, pushing herself out of her chair with a light roll of her eyes. “Well, we know when we’re not wanted.” She grabs her bag, casting one last look over her shoulder as she stops by his door. “Forlini’s tomorrow? 8 o’clock?”

Rafael nods, already making a mental note of it in his mind. “Make sure you have a scotch ready and waiting for me, I’m in court with Buchanan tomorrow.” She gives him a knowing look, no more needing to be said, before slipping out of his office. Just as Carisi goes to follow her, hand on the door, Rafael stops him. “Hey, thanks for the spaghetti. Really. It was exactly what I needed to get through the rest of today.”

Carisi falters, clearly flustered by the compliment, and Rafael watches as he takes a moment to himself to seemingly gather his thoughts. When he meets his gaze again, he’s smiling softly. “Don’t mention it.” Then he’s stepping out of the room and Rafael let’s out a deep breath that he hadn’t realised he’d been holding in as it clicks shut, leaving him alone with these new confusing thoughts about the overly enthusiastic newbie that Liv’s taken under her wing.

Not a minute later, his phone pings. He’s going to leave it until later, like he usually does but, against better judgement, he finds himself unlocking it and reading the new message.

**_Carisi:_ ** _you can return the favour with some of that famous vaca frita_

Rafael doesn’t reply to the message but he’s left with an unwavering smile for the remainder of his day. And if he ends up spending his next day off singing in his kitchen as he cooks up a fresh batch of his favourite dish, not forgetting to make extra for a certain detective with baby blue eyes, well….that’s between him and his cat.

_______________

2.

Rafael isn’t quite sure when his office door became open for one particular detective, nor is he sure when he decided to spend his late evenings helping said detective practice his closing arguments for mock trials, yet both have become a regular habit. Not that he’s complaining. How can he when he gets to lean against his desk and watch the younger man pace back and forth in front of him, hands accentuating every word in true Italian nature, almost the picture perfect lawyer with his newly fitted suits and slicked back hair?

It’s certainly a far better way to spend his time, when you consider the fact that his previous plans were to drown his problems in a bottle of old scotch and scour through piles of paperwork.

He’s so caught up in appreciating the little private show before him that he almost misses what Carisi is saying.

“In the past few days, the prosecution council has attempted to prove that Mr Rodriguez is, beyond reasonable doubt, guilty of two charges of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Firstly, let me remind the court that the prosecution has given plenty evidence to prove this.” Carisi pauses, lip pulled between his teeth as his pacing comes to a halt. He glances across the office to meet Rafael’s gaze, uncertainty evident in his eyes.

Rafael takes pity on the man, smiling softly. “You’re doing perfectly, go on.” he reassures, gesturing for him to continue.

Carisi drops his gaze, pale cheeks suddenly flush with colour despite the cool chill in the room. He doesn’t say anything for almost a full minute and Rafael is about to ask if he needs some water, maybe prod him in the right direction for his argument, when he clears his throat. This time, when he speaks, his voice is considerably hoarser than before, hands wringing nervously in front of him as he avoids Rafael’s gaze completely.

“Now you, as a jury, have the legal obligation to find Mr Rodriguez guilty of these charges give the families of the victims (Ms Carlyle, Miss Blaese and Miss Davis) some semblance of closure.”

Rafael claps his hands together, pushing himself off from his desk with as much grace as he can manage. His smile is genuine, for once, as he steps closer to the detective. “See? I told you that you could do it.”

Carisi’s odd demeanour melts away before his eyes, nervous frown easing into a smirk. “Actually, I specifically recall you saying that I had ‘no hope whatsoever’ only the other day.” He pushes his hands deep into his jacket pockets, head cocking to one side and causing a strand of silvery blond hair to fall over his face. Rafael resists the urge to tuck it back into place.

“That was merely a mentoring tactic.”

“Oh, so you admit that you _are_ mentoring me?”

Rafael rolls his eyes. “I admit to no such thing, Carisi. You’re twisting my words to hear what you want.”

“Says the lawyer.”

“Shut up.” Rafael bites back a laugh, hand coming to rest on Carisi’s shoulder. He gives it a light squeeze. “You’ve come a long way since I met you. You’re going to smash this mock trial out of the park.”

Carisi snickers, swallowing hard before speaking. “Thanks, Counselor.”

With a final squeeze, Rafael withdraws. He goes to grab his jacket from the back of his chair, feeling Sonny’s eyes trained on him as he moves. Perhaps it’s the strange intimacy this new development has given them, or perhaps it’s simply a leap of faith on Rafael’s behalf, that makes him say what he does next. “Care for a drink, detective?”

Glancing over his shoulder, he witnesses another blush spread across Carisi’s face. “S-Sure.” he raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow his way, “As long as you’re buying.”

Rafael chuckles. He isn’t sure when his relationship with Carisi shifted beyond a workplace acquaintance but he will be the last person to complain.

_______________

3.

The precinct is bustling with people when Rafael arrives, carefully dodging officers as he steps out of the elevator and makes his way towards the squad, warrant in hand. He can see Liv sat at her desk through the crack of her blinds, phone in hand and he makes a beeline straight for her office.

“Morning, Counselor.” Fin greets, nodding his way from where he sits at his own desk, coffee in hand. “Anything of interest?”

Rafael waves the warrant for him to see, tipping his head towards Liv’s office as explanation. Fin raises his eyebrows in acknowledgement, going back to his work when Rollins complains at him.

Knocking once on Liv’s door, Rafael lets himself in. She looks up from the notepad she’s scribbling on, rolling her eyes at whoever is talking on the other end of the line. Once she spots the warrant in his hands, her face brightens considerably. Smiling gratefully at him as he places it amongst the numerous papers scattered around her desk, she mouths “thank you” before jumping in to interrupt the person on the phone with a tired sigh.

He doesn’t linger, instead choosing to make his leave and quietly shutting the door behind him.

Carisi is back at his desk, ridiculously long legs stretched out as he rifles through a stack of paperwork, and Rafael fights back the flurry of butterflies that fill his stomach at the sight of the man. He’s not a damn teenager crushing on some jock; he’s an ADA for Christ’s sake.

All attempts to push back his feelings are in vain, however, because Carisi chooses that moment to turn his head and meet his gaze head on – gorgeous smile spreading across his face, hand coming up to run through perfectly styled, silver-streaked hair.

“Rafael!” is the first thing he says, Staten Island accent thick as ever, as Rafael steps closer to his desk. “I didn’t realise you were dropping by.”

Rafael stops just shy of his chair, hand coming to rest on the back of it as Carisi tilts his head back to smile up at him. “I was just dropping off the warrant for Lisa’s medical record.” Carisi nods in response, only the flash of a grimace making it onto his face at the reminder of their most recent case. Rafael couldn’t help himself from reaching out and landing a comforting hand to the detective’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

Carisi’s smile turns thankful, his own hand coming to rest over Rafael’s. It’s nice.

“How do you feel about Thai food?” he asks suddenly, if only to bring back the cheerful atmosphere (well, as cheerful as one can be surrounded by cases of such a nature).

A small furrow takes place between Carisi’s brows and Rafael resists the urge to run his thumb over them and wipe them away. “Thai food? Why? Are you offering?”

Rafael chuckles. “I was going to, yeah.” He knows Rollins and Fin are probably watching, listening, but he’s beyond caring at this point. Let them stare. “I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

Carisi’s smile turns fond, leaning ever so slightly into the hand Rafael still has on his shoulder.

“Well?” Rafael prods, not too proud to admit that he’s nervous.

But then Carisi is nodding, flashing Rafael a toothy grin that just about melts him on the spot. “I love Thai.” It’s not exactly the response Rafael had been expecting but it’s still an acceptation so he takes it.

“Great. Let me know when you’re finished here and send you an address.” Straightening his suit out, Rafael smiles – to himself more than anybody in particular. “You should wear that blue and yellow tie, it suits you.” is the last thing he says before, without giving the action a second thought, he ducks down and brushes a kiss to Carisi’s hair.

As regret suddenly flushes through him when Carisi tenses up underneath him, Rafael makes a hasty retreat towards the elevator. He’s so lost in his own thoughts of idiocy, mentally cursing himself for doing something so stupid before they’ve even been on their first ‘proper’ date, he almost misses the loud sound of a crash followed by a string of curses and laughter.

Safe in the elevator, as the doors close in front of him, he just manages to catch a glimpse of Carisi sprawled out on the floor with his chair tipped over.

_______________

4.

The air feels hot and heavy, the room filling up with the oddly melodic sound of slapping skin and a string of curses and moans that only serve to spur Rafael on. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined himself to be here, right now, Carisi ( _Sonny_ , he mentally chides himself) a withering mess beneath him as he scrambles to find purchase in Rafael’s once unwrinkled bedsheets.

His skin is on fire, sticky, a canvas of fresh bruises and bites that he can only hope will be covered by his suit tomorrow in court.

He’s never felt better.

“Fuck, Raf-” Sonny’s words are choked off with another moan, hands finding their way to Rafael’s arms and gripping with a strength that sends arousal through Rafael’s entire being. The reminder of Sonny’s physical abilities, the muscles currently tensing in full view below him, yet the man being nothing reduced down to this mess, completely at Rafael’s mercy, is more of a turn on than he ever expected. “Yes! Right there. _Fuck_!” Sonny gasps, face twisting to muffle his cries into the pillow by his head.

Rafael smirks.

The words fall out before he can think about them, lost to him as he rolls his hips once more, not really giving them much thought. “Good boy.”

It doesn’t matter that they’re only a whispered phrase practically lost in the mix of grunts and groans; Sonny hears them. The younger man loses control the minute the phrase slips past Rafael’s lips, back arching high off of the bed with a broken cry, blunt nails digging harshly into Rafael’s arms. It’s a glorious sight, if Rafael does say so himself.

It also manages to cause pause in their moment.

As Sonny comes down from his high, dropping heavily onto the mattress with a weak sigh, he’s flushed red and not just from their activities; embarrassment clear on his face. He refuses to meet Rafael’s gaze, blinking furiously like he might cry.

Rafael didn’t go to Harvard for nothing, though.

In an instant, realisation clicks in his mind and everything suddenly falls into place. All of the rushed goodbyes, the deep blushes, the stuttered words and avoidance of him completely for weeks suddenly make sense.

His face softens as he leans down to close the gap between them, fingers hooking under Sonny’s chin and tilting his face back to meet his eyes. He smiles, as soft as he can manage, pressing a gentle kiss to Sonny’s red-bitten lips before pulling back and dragging two digits through the mess on Sonny’s stomach and bringing them up to his mouth. He licks them clean as Sonny squirms, eyes stuck on him like a magnet, moaning underneath him.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful.” Rafael murmurs, hand falling back to the man’s hips and squeezing lightly as Sonny blushes once more, earlier release already forgotten as his arousal makes itself known again.

Rafael smirks. This was going to be fun.

_______________

+1.

Sonny has been pressing for an argument ever since Rafael arrived at the precinct, almost an hour ago. He refuses to give in, though; knows that the detective isn’t mad at him specifically but rather the situation in general.

It’s been a tough case, leading to an even tougher interrogation which has led them absolutely nowhere. And, on top of that, Sonny has been busy juggling his time with night classes. It’s no wonder the man’s stressed.

“I’m so sick of this!” Sonny growls, punching in the number on the vending machine with a little more force than strictly necessary. The bag of skittles fall down and he snatches them up, angrily ripping into them as he mutters about lowlifes wasting everyone’s time.

Rafael takes a step closer, thankful that the break room is empty save for the two of them. “Hey, now’s not the time to lose your cool. We’re so close to cracking this case.”

Sonny’s glare is quickly fixed onto Rafael, blue eyes clouded with a concoction of frustration and exhaustion. His lips twitch downwards, close enough to a snarl that Rafael pauses his approach. “I don’t need _you_ telling me how to feel. Thanks.” The words are harsh and cutting and, if Rafael didn’t know better, could cause him to storm out of their and leave the detective to simmer down on his own.

However, Rafael knows Sonny all too well by now. He knows that he often gets too emotionally invested in cases like this one, he knows that he has a short temper, he knows that he has a habit of lashing out before thinking.

He also knows that Sonny loves him.

And he loves Sonny in return.

Which means he knows what Sonny is looking for right now, even if Sonny doesn’t know it himself.

With a sympathetic smile, Rafael closes the distance between them and places his palms to Sonny’s face, thumbs caressing his cheeks and fingers lining his jaw as he tilts his head down until they’re looking at each other eye to eye. Sonny frowns. It’s just a slight crease between his brows but it shows his confusion enough for Rafael to break, chuckling softly as he leans up and captures his boyfriend’s lips with his own.

It’s almost as though all of the detective’s anger seeps out of him as their lips meet; the tension that wracked his body melting away as he leant into Rafael, hands coming to rest on his hips instinctively. They keep the kiss brief, nothing more than a comforting press of lips, the slightest hint of tongue and a heavy sigh shared between them before Rafael pulls away.

Sonny chases after him, the tiniest of whines slipping from his throat as he steals one last kiss from Rafael, his arms tightening around him to stop him from moving any further away. Rafael wasn’t planning on leaving yet, anyway, so he doesn’t protest; resting their foreheads together and just drinking in his partner’s presence for a moment longer.

“Don’t blame yourself.” he finally whispers into the silence between them, eyes fluttering open as he peels out of Sonny’s hold just far enough to meet his gaze once more. Sonny looks ready to protest, so Rafael brushes the pad of his thumb over his lips to shush him. “No. Don’t. You did everything you could, more so even. You’re one of the best detective’s I know, you put your heart and soul into your work and you want what’s best for every victim. Everyone knows that.”

He holds Sonny’s gaze, mindlessly stroking his thumb along the line of his jaw and smiling at the slight hint of stubble he finds. Sonny’s been so wrapped up in this case that his usual routine has practically gone out of the window.

“You did good.” he repeats, keeping his voice soft but leaving no room for argument.

Sonny shakes his head, blinking furiously, but the flush of his cheeks tells all. He sighs, sinking down to bury his face in the crook of Rafael’s neck, cold nose nudging at the skin that peeks out from his collar and sending welcome shivers down Rafael’s spine.

“I could have done better.” comes the reply, whisper so quiet that it almost goes unheard.

Rafael twists his head, lips brushing over Sonny’s hair as he places a kiss to his temple. He breathes in deeply, smiling at the familiar apple-scented shampoo that his boyfriend insists on using, hand running up and down his back in an attempt to comfort him in every way that he can.

Unfortunately, Rafael knows that everyone (himself included) could have done better to ensure that they didn’t waste yet another day on this search for the right suspect. He doesn’t want to tell Sonny that, though. Not now, anyway. So, instead, he says all he can think to say in the moment. “I love you.”

Sonny lets out a breathy laugh, lips brushing over the base of Rafael’s throat as he twists his head slightly. He sighs again and Rafael finds himself digging his fingers into Sonny’s hair, silently thanking his broken routine for the lack of gel when he does so. “I love you too.” Sonny says, voice fond as the last of his frustration finally disappears. For now, at least.

Rafael smiles, glad that he’s able to calm his boyfriend down with the use of gentle praise and reassurances rather than giving in to his want for a fight. Sonny may find his response to compliments embarrassing at times but Rafael thinks that it’s adorable and, if used with good intentions, can be more than useful for them both.

**Author's Note:**

> idk how i feel about this? it's the first thing i've managed to write in 3 weeks so apologies if it's awful xD
> 
> all kudos/comments are greatly appreciated! tysm for reading <3


End file.
